Granddad nodded. “I think Tucker would like that. He seems to be growing tired of Boggy Creek, and I get the feeling the two of you will bump heads if you’re both here.”
I let out a humorless laugh. “I won’t argue with you on that one. I’ll take over for you whenever you’re ready to step down full time, but in the meantime, I’d like to think about adding another branch to the company. I’m working on a presentation to show you, and we can talk more about it when I’m done.”
A hearty laugh came from the old man. “Hell, I was ready to step down two years ago. You were simply too busy off fighting for our country.”
My heart felt as if someone had punched through my chest and squeezed. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here.”
He waved off my sympathy. “I wasn’t meaning that, son. I’m proud of you. Your father would be as well. I also want you to know I’m here if you ever need to talk.”
I glanced down at a spot on the floor and slowly let out a deep breath. “I’ve been trained not to talk about it, sir. To bury it and move on. It’s something I can’t do, at least not right now.”
Hearing the sound of his chair scrape against the floor, I looked up. He placed his old Stetson hat on his head and smiled. “Well, it’s something you’re gonna have to learn to do, or it’ll tear you apart from the inside out. Trust me, I know. I look forward to that presentation.”
He dropped something down on the table and then headed to the door. “You’re welcome to build a place on the land here. It’s not much, and you’ll be able to toss a stone at the main house, but I know you’ve always liked that spot down by the lake. It will all be yours soon enough. And I happen to know a good builder.”
I couldn’t help but smile as I watched my grandfather open the door and slip out.
When I glanced down at the table to see what he’d left, my heart stilled.
It was a picture of me and Willa. It was taken my senior year, her freshman year. We were standing together, our arms around each other’s waists in front of the lake, almost near the same spot where we’d had our picnic.
I moved my fingers lightly over the photo as I whispered, “Willa.”
Willa
One month later
The three inches of snow that fell last night had blanketed the orchard, creating one of the most beautiful sights I’d ever seen. Well, that wasn’t true. I saw this same scene year after year, but that first big snowfall was always magical. There was something so beautiful about the way the sun made the snowflakes sparkle like thousands of diamonds. And with the trees and apples covered in a light dusting of snow, it truly looked like a magical fairyland.
“Well, looks like that winter bitch herself is here,” Lacy said from behind me.
I smiled and drew in a deep breath. “I love winter.”
“Of course you do. You’re weird.”
I rolled my eyes up at the wind fans whooshing across the quiet air above us.
“It wasn’t a hard freeze, so that’s good,” Lacy said.
I nodded and turned to face her. “What are you doing here? Where’s Connor and Lilly?”
“Daddy-daughter breakfast.”
With a smile, I replied, “That’s so sweet. What must it be like to have a father who cares about their child.”
She gave me a sweet smile. “Brian is a complete asshole, and Ben is better off without him.”
I nodded. “It really is precious how much Connor adores Lilly.”
Lacy beamed. “It really is. I love how my husband is completely besotted with our daughter.”
“She’s lucky,” I said as I started back toward the barn.
“Have you spoken to Aiden?” she asked.
I was surprised she’d lasted this long. Two weeks and three days. It was the longest streak yet.
“I have not,” I replied as I pulled open the barn door and stepped inside. The instant rush of warmth against my face caused me to sigh.
“Hunter saw him last night,” she said.
I focused on checking the stock in the retail area in hopes that we might be able to open tomorrow. “That’s good,” I said, trying to sound like I didn’t want any more information—when I really did.
She sighed and leaned against one of the tables that normally held bushels of apples. Last weekend was the final one of Pick-Your-Own apples until next year. We’d gone a few weeks longer than years past, which was great for our customers. We still had plenty of apples and other goodies to sell though. Hopefully, the sun came out today and took care of the snow issues. As beautiful as it was, I really wished it had held off a little longer.